The Delivery Man: A Hero on Horseback
by Just Cy
Summary: Hyrule is a peaceful world. The light spirits- Ordona, Eldin, Faron, and Lanayru- watch over their provinces with care. Examine the many going-ons in Hyrule as Kish embarks on his journey from Ordon to deliver packages and messages to all the provinces.
1. Chapter 1

**So, Zenga the Serpent has this wonderful AU contest. This would be the start of my entry for that. It's Tokyo Mew Mew characters in the realm of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I hope you all like it. Oh, and I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew or Legend of Zelda. So I hope you all enjoy this. **

The sun was high in the clear blue sky. It was a quiet day in the tiny village of Ordon. The river trickled along on its path, undisturbed for the moment. The children were out in the ancient forest, doubtless causing a ruckus, yet the village was quiet.

The mayor, Ron Yuebin looked over the town from his front porch. The town was small, and everyone was friendly. He loved the small town, but he had to worry about its future. It was peaceful now, but he could feel a change in the wind. It wasn't that he didn't trust his children, well that actually was the problem. His daughter, Mariko, was a lovely young woman with a promising future. However, his son, Kisshu, worried him. His ponderings were disturbed by the local drama queen.

The shop owner, Ayano Uemura, kick her cat, Asano, out the door with an angry expression on her face. She let out a "humph" and turned on her heel, as if the cat cared that he was receiving the cold shoulder. She slammed the door behind her. The tree dwelling made a shout in protest.

He chuckled, and shook his head. The thought that they were all connected to their surroundings made him smile. The tree had been bothered by her anger. It shouted in protest because her anger had hurt it.

Mr. Taren Fong was watering his pumpkin garden, whistling a merry tune. Mr. Fong had seven children, Masaya, Pudding, Hanacha, Chincha, Lucha, Honcha, and Heicha. Mr. Fong's wife had passed away a few years ago, but he was strong for his children. They all had done surprisingly well.

Ron thought of the old goat herder, Mr. Ijuuin and worried about him—but then again, Masaya Fong was helping out now. He was a fine young man, and ought to be better at handling the goats than their usual master. He vaguely wondered where his son, Kisshu, was.

As if in answer to his pondering, a goat came rushing down the hill, his son flailing around on its back. He sighed and moved into the path of the goat, bracing himself to grab the horns of the livestock. He succeeded in getting the goat. It stopped struggling and Kisshu got off the beast's back.

The green haired boy scratched the back of his head, and, smiling nervously, he said, "Hiya, Pops."

"Kisshu, what were you doing up at the ranch?" The Mayor asked, clearly not happy.

"Just, ya know, saying hi to Masaya." He laughed nervously, hoping his father wouldn't do anything too rash.

"Take the goat back up. When you get back, you and I are going to have a talk."

Kish winced at the implications of this talk. His father didn't understand why Kish caused so much trouble for the young herder. It was all in good fun most of the time and no one ever got hurt by his practical jokes.

Kish sighed."Of course, Father," He said and led the goat up the hill back to the ranch.

Masaya seemed relieved that the goat had been caught. He smiled at his friend, and then saw the somber expression and dropped his smile.

"Thanks for bringing him back, Kish," Masaya said and led the goat into the pen.

Kish nodded, seeming to be deep in thought, trying to come up with a way out of this "talk" with his father."Yeah, sure thing, I mean, it was my fault he got out." Kish then got an idea, a horridly wonderful idea. "Hey, are you and my sister doing anything later?" he asked with a devilish grin.

"Well, Mariko wanted us to hang out by the spring after the goats are all in the barn for the night, why?" He asked, confused by his friend's sudden change in attitude.

"Just wondering, she is my sister after all. What do you see in her anyway?"

"She's your sister! You should know even more of the wonderful things about her than me!" Masaya protested to this attack.

"Well, yeah, but ever since that honey got stuck in her hair and she had to cut it and, well, you catch my drift." Well, she hadn't cut it - Ms. Ayano had, and quite frankly it sucked.

"I love her new haircut," Masaya said a little too quickly. It was a horrible lie.

Kish's eyes sparkled deviously. "Yeah, well, don't work too hard. I gotta get," He said.

Masaya nodded, and Kish set off again. Masaya sighed. He had been good friends with Kish since they were young. Kish was always a prankster, but it had gotten worse lately. Since he started courting Mariko, Kish was quite fed up with the idea of his old friend. Mariko was a few years younger than him, but he had always been around her and found her quite adorable. Even if he didn't, Ordon offered few other options. He shook his head—what an awful thing to think. He understood Kish's action to a degree, if Kish ever took interest in his younger sister, Pudding, he'd be furious. Then again, Pudding was twelve, Kish was sixteen. There shouldn't be any interest there.

Kish couldn't believe that his oldest friend was _that_ into his sister. The two of them had always been a team. They shared everything, and Kish was more hurt that he had never been told of this attraction than that the relationship itself existed. Actually, if anyone was going to be with his sister he was glad it was Masaya, but he was still hurt that Mariko had found out of these feelings before he himself had. So, Kish had been a little more ruthless than usual, but it wasn't anything too severe. He may have been a prankster, but he wasn't a bad person. No, he wasn't bad at all. He was just bored, for Ordon was a quiet town. It offered little excitement, and Kish had a strong desire for excitement. He wanted to see the world, he knew that. But it wasn't as if he could just waltz out of town. No, he needed a place to go, and a means to get there. He thought of his options as he walked into his home.

"Kish, sit down," Ron said with authority.

Kish took a seat on the couch, and his father stood before him.

Ron pinched his nose in hopes of stopping an oncoming headache. "Why?" Was all he asked. It was a simple question, and it had a simple answer.

"I was bored," Kish said honestly with a shrug of his shoulders. It was the truth, and that was what his father wanted. Yet he wanted more than that. He wanted the motive, and he wanted the solution.

"Kishu, this has to stop. You need to find a new way to pass your time. You're not a child anymore."

"Well what do you suggest I do? Ordon isn't the most exciting place," Kish retorted, a little harsher than he'd intended.

"A job would be a productive way to spend your time."

"How am I supposed to do that? Ms. Ayano isn't hiring, and Masaya is helping Mr. Ijuuin. There aren't many other opportunities unless I get out of here!" Kish was getting angry. He felt his own father was telling him he was a leech.

"Norihiro is moving to Castle Town with Satsuki, meaning the position of messenger has been opened. That is, if you find it exciting enough."

"You mean, I'd get a horse, and carry messages to and from Ordon? I'd get out in the world, and still see everyone from time to time?" Kish's eyes started to glow, this was ideal. His father nodded, and he leapt from the couch, and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

"I take it this means you'll take the job?" Ron said, patting the boy on the back.

"When do I start?" He asked, licking his lips in anticipation of all the excitement he'd encounter. His plan to sabotage his friend's date was completely forgotten.

"Soon, my son, but you will require some training. Now, Norihiro is entitled to keep his horse, and Ponyo was the only horse our town had. You can ride well enough This means your first journey will have to be on foot. Not to mention the world is dangerous. You'll need more instruction in the ways of the sword, but if you can agree to this, you may have the job."

Kish nodded. This was just what he needed. He couldn't help but smile. All the thoughts that raced through his head were far from Ordon. He almost forgot about Masaya and Mariko.

"You may go," He said and Kish nodded again.

He turned to leave. While his hand was on the knob he turned around and smiled. "Thanks Pops." He then left to go for a swim.

He had always liked to swim. He couldn't explain his draw to the water, there was just something about it that he always loved. Someone had once joked that his mother must have been a Zora, but a punch in the gut from Kish had prevented any further retaliation. While Kish didn't know that his mother hadn't been a Zora for his father refused to speak of her. It would explain why he could hold his breath for unnaturally long, but something told him she was as human as his father.

He climbed up onto the roof of Mr. Fong's house, and jumped to the nearby large, grass-covered rock. He peeled off his patchwork tunic, and removed his sandals. He dove into the tiny lake, relishing the chill of the water and the ease with which he moved. He didn't think much, just moved. He loved the waters ability to calm him. He was excited for what was to come, but he also realized he ought to be spending time with people, after all, he wouldn't be seeing as much of them.

He heard a giggle and looked around for the source of the giggle. He looked up to see a girl with brown short hair standing at the pier.

"Hi Kishu," she said with a smile. The reflection of the water in her brown eyes made them radiant.

He smiled back and waved. "Hey Miwa, what's going on?" He asked her. She had always been kind, a good friend to him.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and her cheeks flushed, she didn't expect him to respond. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of heading over to the spring when I saw you swimming and wanted to know if you want to come with me."

He thought about it for a minute, and decided it wouldn't be a bad idea. "Sure, let me grab my tunic," He said and climbed up the large rock, causing Miwa to swoon behind his back. He shook his long hair and put his shoes on. He turned before grabbing his shirt and jumping down to say, "You should probably come over, it takes a little while to go from the pier to here."

She saw his well-toned form, and could barely contain her excitement. But she just nodded quickly and rushed over to the rock.

He slipped his tunic on and jumped down, ending with a flourishing bow to Miwa, who had just arrived in front of him, "Shall we continue?" He asked with a cheeky grin.

"Sure," She said, more than a little flustered.

The two continued to move towards the spring. Kish was aware that it was usually a place where couples went, but he didn't mind. Miwa was nice, and she was pretty, so if some rumors started he wouldn't really care. He wasn't sure he wanted to marry her or anything, but she had potential if he didn't meet anyone else in his travels.

"I heard you caught an escaped goat today."

"Not really, I mean, I took it back to Masaya, but Pops was the one who stopped him." Kish started to pull his hair into the tails he always wore it in.

"Your father is a very kind man. He does a good job leading our town."

"Yeah, he does." Kish nodded, it was true, his father did do a good job keeping things smooth. It wasn't that much happened in the town, but the daily administrative tasks were a handful that he handled well.

They arrived and found the spring uninhabited. This was no surprise. Most people waited until nightfall, or sunset at the earliest, to come down. He sat down and motioned for Miwa to sit next to him. She sat down and looked at Kish with shining eyes.

"The reflection of the sun on the water is pretty," He said, mesmerized by the sacred waters.

She nodded, and boldly leaned her head on his shoulder.

He asked, "You okay? It's a little early to be sleepy."

"Yeah, just comfortable. Your shoulder is comfortable," She said and he smiled his cheeky grin.

"Oh yeah?" He said, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

She knew something was coming but was unprepared when he flipped her over to be tickled. She started laughing uncontrollably and rolling, trying to stop the tickling sensation. "Kishu!" She cried out in protest. She continued to shout his name, begging him to stop.

Once he realized that someone who might overhear might misunderstand, he stopped.

Her giggling continued for a moment, and eventually she calmed down. "Meanie," She teased and shoved him playfully.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I can live with that," He said with a smirk. He saw the setting sun and realized that Masaya and Mariko would be coming soon. Well, he'd tell them when they showed up about his new job, and then he'd leave them alone. He would probably have to go see the village swordsman, Satsuki Tadono, soon anyway. "Have you ever wondered what the rest of the world looks like?" He asked Miwa, thinking of his new job.

She looked at him strangely. As she was unaware of his recent employment she couldn't help but wonder where the question had come from. "I suppose, but then again, it can't be that much different from Ordon, can it?"

"I don't know. Castle Town sure sounds different, and Lake Hylia doesn't sound very similar, and Kakariko Village-"

"Ok, so what Norihiro tells us sounds different," Miwa started, "But we all still live on this planet—we're all people, we can't be all that different. I am, there are Zora's, and Goron's, but we all share this place."

"I suppose." He then heard approaching footsteps and knew his friend must be approaching. He smiled, he could still ruin Masaya's date yet. "Play along," He whispered to Miwa.

She gave him a puzzled look.

He crashed his lips into hers.

She was startled and delighted all at the same time. He moved his hands to her waist, and she wrapped hers around his neck. She was shocked when he nibbled at her neck.

"Kishu!" She cried out and he smirked.

He bit a little harder and she moaned half in pleasure and half in pain. She started to respond even further and pulled his tunic off.

He smiled; she was getting more into this than he thought. He kissed where he had bitten and then when he heard a gasp Miwa yelped and he turned with a smirk.

"Sorry, didn't realize it had gotten late enough for you guys to be here," He lied with the cheeky grin still planted on his face. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I ran into you, I'm getting the position of messenger, and wanted to tell you guys. Do enjoy your date." He winked and grabbed his tunic and helped Miwa up. The two departed, leaving Masaya and Mariko speechless.

"You didn't tell me you got a job," Miwa exclaimed. "And you used me to get to them! I hate you Kishu!" She yelled and ran off.

"You didn't seem to mind earlier!" He cried back.

She turned around, and her brown eyes that had danced before were cold, and fixed in a hard glare at him.

He realized that was the wrong thing to say. "I'm sorry!"

"I wish I believed you," She said and rode off.

He sighed, and went to talk to Satsuki. He frowned. Girls were so sensitive. He didn't understand why she was so bothered. She liked him, that was obvious, and she had gotten to make out with him before he left. Where was there a problem? He sighed, and realized the problem was that the kissing didn't mean anything—not to him anyway—and she knew that she was just a tool in a prank, and she didn't like being used. He knocked on the door of the village swordsman's dwelling. It was embedded in a tree, like many of the other homes in the small village.

"Kishu, what can I do for you?" Satsuki asked.

"I was hoping for a sword lesson," He said, and Satsuki could see something was on his mind. But Satsuki knew he could get something out of this lesson other than the Mayor's Rupees.

"You put in a good word for me with Mariko and I'll give you a free lesson," Satsuki said with a wink. Kish pondered it, and decided it would be fair. He knew Mariko would just throw it off as another attempt to break up her and Masaya.

"Sure thing," Kish said, while Kish knew she wouldn't listen, he figured Satsuki didn't have to know that.

"All right, first thing's first, pick a sword off the wall," Satsuki said and Kish looked at each of the shining blades on the wall. He thought about it for a moment, and grabbed a simple blade. It had a green hilt with a one blue crystal on it. Kish tested the balance. Satsuki smiled. "It's good to see you considering that, but I can guarantee all these blades are well balanced."

"Just testing the feel," Kish said and attempted to give it a swing with one hand. The blade clashed to the floor.

"I see you have a long way to go before you're ready to fight anyone," Satsuki said. "Pick it up," he ordered.

Kish frowned, yet obeyed anyway. He didn't like being told what to do, and Satsuki wasn't so far above him that Kish believed he could order the mayor's son around like that. But, he acknowledged that he needed these lessons.

"The sword is not just a tool, it is an extension of yourself. A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage. You must use your courage to seek power, and yet those who find power are often ruled by it. You must find balance. This is all you need to know. Well, maybe that and a proper stance," Satsuki told him.

Kish readjusted himself. His feet were spread apart. He choked up on the hilt and pulled his shoulders back.

Satsuki nodded, making slight adjustments to the stance. "Much better," He said with a smile. Satsuki took up another blade, and began to show him certain moves. However it wasn't long before Satsuki shook his head and knocked the blade from his hands and Kish to the ground.

"You have heart but you aren't strong enough to be taken seriously. From now on I want you to run around the village three times in the morning, and three times in the evening. I also want you to lift yourself up using a branch at least fifty times each day. Doing that should start to get your strength up."

Kish nodded. That didn't sound so hard, but the smirk the sword master displayed made him second guess the ease of the task for a second.

"Return in a month."

"Return in a month?" Kish asked, shocked at the length of the sentence.

"It takes at least four weeks for a change in strength," Satsuki explained.

Kish sighed, but he decided now was a good time to start his nightly runs. "Thanks," Kish said with as much sincerity as he could. He hung the sword back on the wall and then walked out the door.

Satsuki walked out with Kish's sword and threw it to him.

Kish caught it and looked confused.

"You may as well get used to running with the sword at your side. If you're serious you're going to be carrying it a lot."

Kish nodded again and buckled it on his back as he would have to when riding. He started running in a loop around the darkening village. The first loop was not difficult. The second loop caused him to tire. The third loop he could barely complete. He had initially thought he would start the pull-ups, but now he just wanted to sleep. Then he thought if it took a month of hard work for his strength to increase, he ought to go ahead and start. Besides, it was his legs that hurt. He could use his arms.

He searched for a branch that he could reach up and grab. It wasn't hard to find—Ordon was surrounded by woods. He grabbed the branch, and pulled himself up, his arms already quivering. He was tired from practice. He was tired from the run. He was tired. Yet he lifted himself anyways. His arms quivered, and he was in pain, but he found the strength to continue. He had his eyes on a job, and to get that job this is what he had to do. The prospect of a job didn't excite him all that much, but the prospect of traveling did. To get paid to do what he always wanted to do, that worked for him. However, he couldn't push himself too terribly hard. That would just make him have to backtrack.

He made it to ten pull-ups and fell to the ground. He sighed at the thought that he would have to continue in the morning. He staggered home, and looked at the ladder he had to climb to get to his bed. He just fell onto the couch, not even having the energy to take his shoes off.

Mariko looked down from the loft and shook her head. "Kishu, you idiot," She whispered and crawled into her bed. His forever trying to sabotage her dates got on her nerves. She wondered why he didn't trust her judgment. Was there something about Masaya he knew that made his friend a bad match for her? Well, maybe he had valid cause, but even so he shouldn't have taken advantage of poor Miwa like that. She even initially thought he was lying about the job, but her father confirmed his outburst.

"Was that Kishu who just came in?" Ron asked.

Mariko nodded. "Yes, but I think he's asleep on the couch. There's a sword on his back. He was probably with Satsuki."

Ron shook his head but said good night to his daughter and blew out the lantern.

** So, there's chapter one. I've got a ways to go, but I hope you enjoyed. And even if you didn't, thanks for taking the time to read the chapter. I ask that you please take another moment to leave a review. I like knowing what you guys think. I can't get better if you don't tell me what I did wrong. Speaking of getting better - I want to thank Anonymous-Wolf for all her help with the grammar, and flow of the chapter. So, I have to hurry up with the rest of this story.**

** God Bless You All  
~Cy**


	2. Chapter 2

The month seemed to drag on for Kish. The tasks Satsuki had set out were exhausting. It seemed as soon as he was able to do something Satsuki upped the load. It was nearly unbearable. It was only nearly unbearable in the sense that the only thing that kept him going was the thought, "You'll be out of here soon. Just press on. He can't break you." Well, there was that and the fact that by the end of the month he could visibly see the change in his strength. He wasn't bad looking before, he certainly wasn't pudgy, but if he compared himself then and now he viewed himself as hideous. The muscles that had developed weren't overly large. In fact, they were just large enough to be perfectly attractive. It was enough to get Miwa back on his good side, well the gun show, and a promise to bring her back something pretty from Castle Town when he finally went.

"Kish, I think you're ready to make the journey to Castle Town," Satsuki told him when Kish arrived earlier than usual one day.

Kish's eyes widened, "You think so?" he asked. His teacher had been incredibly hard on him, so while he was ecstatic, he wasn't convinced there wasn't a catch.

"Yes, but your father and I have been talking," Satsuki said in a grave tone.

"Oh," Kish's heart sank. It was clear by his teachers tone his father didn't think he was ready yet.

"Don't sound so happy," Satsuki said with a roll of his eyes, "he wants you to take some of the kids with you: Mr. Fong's children, Ms. Miwa, and your sister. We think they'd enjoy the trip. You'd take your first message, the kids would get to see some of the world, you'd get to get your horse, and then you'd come home with any messages."

"Are you serious?" Kish asked, not trusting his teacher to not let him down.

"Of course I'm serious! I may be a hard teacher but I'm not a liar," Satsuki replied shaking his head.

Kish smiled and asked his instructor when he would be able to leave.

"You leave tomorrow. I suggest you let everyone know," Satsuki said.

"Shall we train first?" Kish asked. Satsuki smiled at his pupil, and pulled his sword from his sheath, swinging it elaborately as if to tell his pupil that while he was proficient he still had a long way to go.

Kish was sore after his practice with Satsuki. Satsuki had an exercise that Kish had just successfully completed for the first time. One that would leave both of them wishing they had not set out to do it. Kish swapped his sword for a wooden one. He had to hit Satsuki one hundred times before Satsuki hit him three times with a blunted spear. It was hard for Kish, and if Satsuki actually tried Kish would barely get a hit in. But the exercise taught Kish how to block, and how to use versatile attacks. Not to mention he got an immense amount of satisfaction in bruising his teacher.

But now was not the time to rest. Now was the time to alert the others that they best pack. Then he would have to finish his training for the day by practicing his stances, running, and doing pull-ups on a now dear tree branch. He actually smiled at the thought of his training. He was glad he had taken the challenge of learning the ways of the sword. It had been hard, but the path was rewarding. He now enjoyed the exercise, and saw it as a vital part of his day. He didn't know if he'd have any bandits to fight on the way, but the idea that he would be prepared gave him great satisfaction.

Kish knocked on the heavy wooden door of the aging Mr. Fong's tree dwelling. When he saw the old man standing in the open door way he smiled. The old man had trained his father in the ways of the sword and there had always been a great friendship between the Yuebin and Fong house. He supposed that was why both of the patriarch's were gladdened at the thought of the houses joining in Masaya and Mariko.

"Mr. Fong," Kishu greeted the older man with a bow.

Mr. Fong smiled, "What can I do for you today Kishu?" He leaned against a thick wooden staff (that had been carved from a fallen tree with a large knot in it) as he awaited an answer from Kish.

"I wanted to request your permission to take your children on a journey to Castle Town," Kish explained.

Mr. Fong's eyebrows furrowed in thought. He was quiet for a minute as he pondered the idea. After many moments of silence he finally said, "I think that taking Pudding and Masaya would be a good idea. The others are much too young, and would be too much a burden to keep an eye on. You will have other concerns and you do not know Castle Town well enough to find the children should they wander off, which is likely. Perhaps in a year they should be able to go, but now I wish not to put the responsibility on you."

"I understand, sir, thank you," he said with a polite bow, and a smile, to Mr. Fong.

"Of course, my boy," he looked at Kish closely, "you've been training hard."

"Yup," Kish said with a cheeky grin. He then flexed his muscles, causing Mr. Fong to laugh.

"You rotten child, you are still filled with such pride. Go on now, you must prepare for your journey," he smiled when he dismissed the boy.

Kish smiled and left with a wave. He then went into Mrs. Uemura's shop to inquire as to whether or not Miwa would be permitted to accompany him.

At the sight of village prankster Mrs. Uemura grew suspicious, "What business do you have here Kish? You know I don't tolerate your antics in my shop."

Kish smiled, and put his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "No pranks, Mrs. Uemura, just a question. I'll be traveling to Castle Town tomorrow and I was wondering if Miwa could accompany me. It would not be only the two of us, Masaya and Pudding Fong will be accompanying us, as will my sister if that would please her."

"If what would please me?" Mariko asked, coming out from the supply vault with an armful of milk jars.

"I'll be going to Castle Town tomorrow, do you want to come?" he asked his sister without the formality he'd used with his elders.

"That would be most enjoyable, now I really must get back to work," Mariko informed him and started placing the jars on the shelves behind the counter her brother leaned upon.

"Well, I suppose if Mariko, Masaya, and Pudding will be going I can't refuse. But if you lay a finger on my daughter, so help me, you'll wish you'd never been born," the shopkeeper threatened.

"Thank you, ma'am, now, if you'll excuse me, I must go prepare for my journey," he said with a bow before departing. So, that business was taken care of. He now actually had to pack before tomorrow. He was on the way to his house when he heard a cry from the ranch.

"STOP THAT GOAT!" Mr. Irjuuin yelled, flailing his arms.

Kish turned and braced himself, remembering his father's stance the day he had been on the goat's back and mimicking it. He grabbed the goat by the horns, stopping it in its tracks. The goat was calmed by Kish rubbing its head and whispering soothing words. There was a rope on his porch and he made a leash for the creature. He led the goat up the hill and Mr. Irjuuin was actually surprised to see Kish was the one to bring his livestock back.

"Well, thank you Kishu, I'm mighty grateful for your assistance," he informed the younger man.

"It's no trouble sir. May I ask where Masaya is?" he continued to lead the goat up to pasture.

"Of course, his father sent for him, said somin' about a journey tomorrow."

"Ah," Kish said in understanding, and then released the goat. "I'm awfully sorry to steal him away from you. He's journeying with me to Castle Town tomorrow."

"Is that so?" Mr. Irjuuin seemed intrigued, "awfully dangerous, ain't it?"

"Well, we hope not, but I've been training to deal with any trouble just in case we run into it," Kish told him.

"Well, that would explain how you could catch that goat when a month ago you were on 'is back. Discipline is a good thing," he said gravely.

Kish smiled and shook the goat herders hand, "Well, I do enjoy your company, sir, but I have a journey to prepare for myself."

"It's been a pleasure, Kish. Enjoy your trip, and may the Goddesses smile upon you."

Kish smiled and waved, and then he went down to prepare for the journey.

**~In the Zora's Domain~**

"Does anyone know where the Priestess is?" Queen Eina* asked one of her guards with a frown.

"No, Your Majesty, she's not in the Lakebed Temple, or her quarters," the guard replied.

"Oh my, where _could_ she be?" the Queen smoothed her dress. She splashed some water on her blue skin.

"Perhaps she is with Lanayru?" the guard reassured her.

"Perhaps you're right. I shouldn't fret too much over it," she rubbed her webbed hand over long coral-like hair.

The Priestess, who was also the only one gifted in the Human and Hylian language, and therefore in charge of mail, entered the throne room, "You called for me, Your Majesty?" she asked with a curtsy.

"Yes, I wanted to enquire about the message we sent to Hyrule Castle, has there been a response?"

"No, Princess Zakuro has not replied. Um, if I may say so, perhaps we could send out a message to the other provinces? While the possible contamination is most presently an issue to Castle Town it concerns the others as well," she said, then quickly added, "I apologize if I spoke out of turn," and stared at the ground.

"Perhaps it would be a good idea, although, I don't want to alarm anyone needlessly."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, there is cause for alarm. Pollution in Lake Hylia directly affects us, Prince Umi is ill because of it, and this pollution is from all of the Humans, not just the people of Castle Town. I apologize for such bluntness."

"It's quite all right, if you feel so strongly then ready the messages."

"Of course, Your Majesty," she said and curtsied before exiting. She wanted to go the Lakebed Temple to pray to Lanayru and Nayru before writing the letters. So she dove down the waterfall to reach Laky Hylia where the temple resided.

**Ok, so I know there are a few issues with this chapter and I'd like to address them. The first one being Kish's respectfulness, I think it's clear that Kish respects those that he knows are superior to him, at least to a degree. I think this because when he was talking to Deep Blue he was respectful. The second: Queen Eina, who is she? Well, when I found out what Lettuce's mother's name I was like "What? I'm never gonna remember this!" So Eina was close-ish (okay, not really, but whatever) to Lettuce's mothers name, but shorter, so it ended up being her name in this story.**


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